Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 3, 2026
Coordinate Mapping of Hyolaryngeal Mechanics in Swallowing
Published on: May 6, 2014
Variability in Ultrasound Measurement of Hyoid Bone Displacement and Submental Muscle Size Using 2 Methods of Data
Sarah E Perry1, Corina J Winkelman, Maggie-Lee Huckabee
1Department of Communication Disorders, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand.
Objective:
This study compares variability in measures of hyoid bone displacement and submental muscle size using 2 methods of ultrasound transducer placement: fixed and hand-held.
Patients And Methods:
Twenty-four healthy participants (11 males, 13 females) aged between 51 and 84 years were scanned using both methods. Repeated measures were collected within and across 3 sessions.
Results:
A nonlinear mixed effects model was used to estimate the effects of the method, trial, and session. The fixed transducer produced greater within- and across-session variability on several measures compared to the hand-held method. Fixed-transducer measurements of hyoid bone displacement were 9.4% smaller compared to hand-held measurements (F[1, 24.34] = 3.58, p = 0.07).
Conclusion:
Results suggest that using a fixed transducer does not necessarily improve measurement accuracy of swallowing outcomes in a healthy system. The wide variability in individual measures indicates that further research is required before ultrasound is used for outcome measurement in rehabilitation.
